Who are YOU?
by Christine M. Greenleaf
Summary: When Alice Pleasance is attacked outside her apartment, all the evidence, including film and eye-witnesses, points to Jervis Tetch as the culprit. He protests his innocence, but only his friend Jonathan Crane believes him, and determines to help Tetch prove that the man who committed the act was both himself and not himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Who Are YOU?**

"So you see, Alice, contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic," said Jervis Tetch, beaming at the girl seated across from him in the visitor's room of Arkham Asylum. A thick panel of glass was between them, but Tetch heard her laugh loud and clear through the small hole at the bottom of it, and felt his heart soar at the radiance of her smile.

"Jervis, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about," she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back. "You don't need to, my dear. Alice doesn't need to understand all the madness I speak. It's just important that she's here, that she's not late…" He raised his hand to the glass and smiled tenderly at her. "Thank you for not being late, Alice."

"Time's up," snapped the guard suddenly, hauling Tetch to his feet.

"How rude," muttered Tetch, glaring at the guard in annoyance. "Alice, I'm afraid that Time has once again turned on me, and deceived me by making the minutes pass quicker than they should. He is a tricky fellow, after all. But I do hope he shall bring you to me again one day soon. Won't he, Alice?" he asked, gazing at her hopefully.

She smiled, rising from her seat. "Yes, Jervis, I promise he will," she said sincerely.

He sighed in relief, smiling. "Thank you," he breathed, reaching his hand through the hole in the glass. She put her hand in his, and he bent down to kiss it. "Thank you, child. Thank you, Alice," he kept repeating as the guard dragged him away.

Alice Pleasance gazed after him in a mixture of pity, sadness, and affection. She had been Jervis Tetch's secretary when he was sane and working for Wayne Enterprises. He had always been especially kind and considerate to her, and it touched her that a man as brilliant and intelligent as him would even notice her. She grew very fond of him, feeling for him as she would for a sweet, eccentric uncle or father. She hadn't realized his feelings were of a different nature until she had become engaged to her fiance, Billy Dodgson, and Tetch had lost his mind out of despair and love for her. The madness had driven him to desperate acts, kidnapping her and attempting to control her and Billy's minds. But after Batman had stopped him and confined him to the asylum, she visited him to try to understand why he had done what he had done. Talking to him, she realized that the sweet man she had come to care for was still in there, just dominated by insanity, which she couldn't help feeling responsible for. She was the focus of his madness, although she had never intended to be, but if there was anything she could do to help undo the damage she had done, she had determined to do it. Jervis Tetch was a good man at heart, she knew it. He just needed a friend. She wanted to be that friend.

"Miss Pleasance?" said a voice, startling her from her thoughts. She turned to see Dr. Leland, head doctor of the asylum, standing behind her. "Can I have a word with you in my office?" she asked gently.

"Oh…sure, Dr. Leland," said Alice. "Billy's working late tonight, so I have time. I just need to make sure I'm back before he gets home…I haven't told him about my visits. I don't think he'd be particularly understanding."

"No, it's a difficult situation," agreed Dr. Leland, gesturing her inside the office and shutting the door. "But I just wanted to personally thank you for visiting him. You don't have to, you know. But his therapy is progressing rapidly lately, and I can't help but think it's because of you."

Alice felt herself blushing slightly. "I don't do anything, Dr. Leland…I just listen to him."

"I think that's precisely what he needs," said Dr. Leland. "Someone to listen to him. Someone he cares about. Someone who inspires him to…get better."

"Can I ask…what exactly is wrong with him, Dr. Leland?" she said slowly. "I'm not a doctor so I won't be able to understand all the technical stuff, but if you can simplify it a little…"

Dr. Leland laughed. "Mr. Tetch isn't what I would call a simple man. He has an incredibly complicated and brilliant mind, and there are several things I haven't been able to diagnose about him. I can tell you he has an obsessive personality. It latches onto things, ideas, people, and doesn't let go. His _Alice in Wonderland_ obsession is one of his longest and most enduring. Even when he was considered sane, he had a fixation on the characters and situations in the book. When his mind snapped, he stopped being able to tell the difference between fiction and reality, believing himself to actually be the Mad Hatter, and you to be Alice. It's not an uncommon occurrence among the insane – they see what they want to see, and are who they want to be. In a way I envy them for that. It must save a lot of self-doubt and uncertainty."

"So am I just indulging this delusion of his?" asked Alice. "That doesn't sound very helpful."

"Ordinarily it wouldn't be," agreed Dr. Leland. "But as I said, Jervis has a very unique mind and a very specific delusion. And it is not particularly harmful – there is nothing in the Alice books that puts you and him in any sort of romantic or violent relationship, so there is no danger of him trying to complete the delusion by hurting you in any way. I think his delusion is primarily driven by loneliness, and the fear of losing people he cares about, and who seem to care about him. You were one of the few people in his life who did, and does. He's so obsessed with keeping you as you are, of you not marrying anyone, because he's afraid that with change, you will change towards him. Literary analysts read the Alice books as a story about the loss of childhood and innocence. I think he's afraid that if you lose your innocence, as he sees it, and grow up, that he will have no purpose. He will cease to be. For if the story is all a dream in Alice's head, the Mad Hatter cannot exist without her. That's what he's afraid of, Miss Pleasance. Of being unable to exist without you."

"But that's nonsense," said Alice. "Surely he must see that's nonsense?"

Dr. Leland smiled sadly. "I'm afraid Jervis isn't particularly skilled at distinguishing sense from nonsense. One of the sad effects of his delusion. But he is an incredibly intelligent and determined man. I think if he thought you wanted him cured, he would cure himself for you."

"I do want that," replied Alice, sincerely. "I don't want to have to keep sneaking around like this – I want him to be rehabilitated so I can see him like any other friend, and maybe he can visit us. Maybe if he gets to know Billy, he would be happier about our marriage. I don't want to stand at the altar on my wedding day remembering I've broken a man's mind as well as his heart. I just want him to get better."

Dr. Leland took her hand. "Tell him that," she murmured. "Next time you visit. He will listen to you, even if he won't to anyone else. He does love you, you know."

"Yes," murmured Alice. "Yes, I know." She looked up at her. "He is a good man, isn't he? He doesn't mean to hurt people. He's just…confused."

Dr. Leland nodded. "I like him very much," she said. "He's generally very sweet and gentle and well behaved, and one of the more humane lunatics I have to deal with. But then compared to the Joker, anyone is."

"Yeah, I guess," agreed Alice, forcing a smile. "Well…thank you, Dr. Leland," she said, standing up. "I will talk to him."

She drove to Billy's, considering what she would say to Jervis the next time she saw him. She would have to phrase it right – he might think the doctors were setting her up or something. But she had meant it when she had said she wanted to help him. She felt sorry for him, and she did still care about him, in that fatherly-uncle sort of way. She didn't have the heart to give up on him.

She opened the door to Billy's apartment and went inside. "Where you been?" demanded his voice, making her jump. She turned to see him emerging from the kitchen, arms folded across his chest.

"Oh…you're back," she stammered. "I thought you were working late tonight…"

"I was. Plans change," he retorted, eyeing her suspiciously. "Where you been?" he repeated. "I thought dinner would be waiting for me when I got home."

"I was just…visiting a friend," said Alice, slowly.

"What friend?" he demanded.

"Jenny," she retorted.

"Oh, right. Well, in that case, I'll just give Jenny a call," he said, reaching for the phone. "Wanted to invite her and Matt out for a meal next week anyway…"

"Billy, don't," said Alice, grabbing the phone from him.

"So you ain't been to see Jenny," he snapped, growing angrier. "I'll ask you one more time. Where you been?"

Alice sighed heavily. "I've been to Arkham Asylum," she muttered.

"Yeah? What were you doing in a place like that?" asked Billy. "There's a lotta dangerous psychos there, Alice. You could end up getting hurt if there was a breakout or something."

"I told you. I was visiting a friend," she retorted.

"What friend have you got in the looney bin?" he asked.

Alice stared at the floor and then looked up at him. "I was visiting Mr. Tetch," she said quietly.

"You were…what?" stammered Billy, stunned. "Why…why would you do that, Alice? Why would you encourage that sick freak's obsession with…"

"He's not a sick freak, Billy!" interrupted Alice, angrily. "He's a nice guy…"

"Nice?" repeated Billy, in a mixture of incredulity and fury. "He kidnapped you! He tried to kill me!"

"He wasn't trying to kill you – he was just trying to get you out of the way," snapped Alice. "He's confused about…a lotta things. But he's a good man at heart, Billy…"

"Alice, I think you spent too long in the looney bin, because I think you're starting to go crazy yourself," snapped Billy. "That sick, disgusting, perverted little creep…"

"I said don't talk about him like that!" shouted Alice.

He stared at her. "This ain't the first time you've visited him, is it?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "No, and it ain't gonna be the last! He needs me, Billy, he needs me to help cure him…"

"Is that what he told you?" demanded Billy. "And you fell for it? C'mon, Alice, you ain't dumb! Think for a second about what he wants from you…"

"He ain't like that!" she shouted. "He ain't after anything from me – he's just lonely! He needs a friend, Billy! And he was my friend, long before you came into the picture!"

"You saying you don't want me in the picture no more?!" shouted Billy, furiously. "You saying you wanna marry the sick freak instead of me?!"

"I'm saying I want to help him get better!" shrieked Alice. "And if you ain't gonna support me in that, then I don't wanna see you until you can grow up enough not be jealous of him! You should trust me, Billy!"

"How can I trust you when you sneak off to places like Arkham Asylum without telling me?!" he shouted.

"Because I knew you wouldn't understand!" she yelled. "Just like you never try to understand anything or anyone who's even a little different!"

"At least I ain't crazy, Alice!" he yelled. "But if that's who you'd rather be with, you be my guest! Go back to the asylum and ask them to get a padded cell ready for you, right next to your boyfriend's! You two can have tea parties for the rest of your life and live happily ever after together in Wonderland!"

Alice knew it was no good talking to him like this, and she wasn't willing to fight with him right now. Without another word, she stormed from the apartment, getting into her car and driving off. Several minutes later, her phone rang. It was Billy, but she ignored it. He probably wanted to apologize, but she wasn't in the mood for an apology right now. She just wanted to go home to her own place and be alone for a little while. Maybe take a bath, have a glass of wine, relax, and think about things. Think about what she would say to Jervis the next time she saw him.

It was going to be sooner than she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Jervis Tetch awoke the next day in his cell, yawning and stretching. He felt strangely tired, as if he hadn't had enough sleep, although he always went to bed at eight o'clock sharp. A rested mind was a healthy mind, he reminded himself, as he went over to the sink.

He looked in the mirror, and was stunned to see splashes of blood on his face. For a moment, he was frozen in horror, and looking down, he saw that blood stained his hands and clothes. "What in…Carroll's name?" he muttered, looking to see if he had cut himself. He didn't see any cuts, and it was an incredible amount of blood.

He rapped on the cell wall. "Jonathan? Are you awake?"

"What?" muttered Jonathan Crane sleepily, from the neighboring cell.

"You didn't hear me leave my cell at any point last night, did you?" he asked nervously.

"I was asleep last night, like all decent people," muttered Crane. "Why?"

"I just…appear to have blood all over me," stammered Tetch, still gazing at his hands in horror.

"What?" asked Crane, puzzled.

At that moment, the door to the cell block burst open. "Tetch. That's the one. Bring him," snapped Commissioner Gordon, ordering several police officers into the cell block. They seized Tetch and began dragging him away.

"But I don't understand…I haven't done anything…" stammered Tetch. "I was asleep…"

"Asleep, huh?" repeated Gordon. "Then explain to me why you're covered in blood."

"I don't know why that is…I don't even know whose blood it is…" said Tetch.

"We do," snapped Gordon, holding up a photo. "Alice Pleasance. She's currently in critical condition at Gotham City General, after you attacked her with a knife in front of several eye-witnesses as she was entering her apartment last night. There's no point in denying it – you were seen, and you're still wearing the evidence. Bring him," he snapped, striding out of the cell block.

"A…Alice?" gasped Tetch. "Alice? Attacked? But I would never…I would never hurt her…I…Jonathan, you know I would never do anything like that!" he cried, turning to Crane pleadingly.

"Of course I do, Jervis," said Crane, firmly. "It's a mistake. It has to be."

"The surveillance footage from outside her apartment building will confirm it," retorted Gordon. "Dr. Leland informs me that she has been visiting you – always a mistake to encourage the insane with their delusions. You never know when they'll suddenly violently snap. I guess the poor girl's learned that, to her cost. We can only pray that she recovers."

"Yes…yes, she has to recover, my poor Alice!" stammered Tetch. "My poor Alice…hurt! What kind of monster would…"

"You did it, Mr. Tetch," interrupted Gordon, firmly. "Now come quietly."

"No, no, no, I didn't! I couldn't!" cried Tetch as he was dragged away. "I would never touch a hair on her head! I would never hurt her, I swear it! I promise you I didn't…Alice!"

Tetch did have a hard time distingushing sense from nonsense. And as he watched the surveillance footage of himself attacking Alice with a knife, and then calmly walking away, he felt as if he truly must have lost his mind. How could he do something like that without remembering, without knowing…? He would never consciously have done it. But he couldn't deny that it was him on the television screen, him, with his cold, vacant eyes stabbing his angel as she screamed. It was horrible. It was monstrous.

"You still wanna deny your guilt?" asked Detective Bullock, turning off the tape.

"Yes," murmured Tetch. "I know it is me, but it wasn't me, you see?"

"No, I don't see," snapped Bullock. "What I did see is you stabbing an innocent girl. And I think that's all I, and the judge, need to see."

Tetch shut his eyes tightly. "When is a man not himself?" he murmured.

"This a riddle?" asked Bullock. "I thought that was that Riddler freak who asked…"

"When he is someone else," answered Tetch for him. "A man is not himself when he is someone else, or when someone else is…controlling him."

Bullock lit a cigar. "You saying someone made you do this?" he asked. "Blackmailed you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" snapped Tetch, furiously. "As if any threat to myself could ever be enough to convince me to harm Alice! You are an absurd little man, do you know that?"

Bullock blew smoke into his face. "Wouldn't go around calling people little if I were you, runt," he snapped.

"Some people are small in stature – they cannot control that," muttered Tetch. "Some people are small in mind. They can."

He leaned back. "My mind is utterly brilliant," he murmured. "I use it to control the minds of others. To control the minds of others," he repeated quietly.

He leaned forward suddenly. "I recently invented a microchip to control the mind of a human being. When I was arrested by Batman, I was not allowed to bring my technology with me. It is possible that someone found it, and is using it to control me…"

"And why would someone wanna do that?" asked Bullock. "Why would anyone wanna hurt the girl? Can't think of any heartless bastard who would be able to plan something like that in cold blood, except for you people, of course."

"Why would I hurt Alice?!" shouted Tetch, suddenly furious. "I love her!"

"Yeah, and you weren't ever gonna have her, were you?" retorted Bullock. "So maybe you thought if you couldn't have her, no one could! Hardly an uncommon situation!"

"If you really think my love for her is that small, and mean, and selfish…"

"Yeah, frankly, I do," retorted Bullock. "I think small and mean and selfish are pretty good words to describe you, freak. I will say one thing in your defense – at least you spared her the humiliation of being raped before you tried to murder her…"

Tetch struck him a powerful blow to the jaw. "I would never…never ever…force her to suffer such indignity!" he shrieked. "I love her! Can't you understand that?! I love her!"

Bullock punched him hard in return, sending him flying into the wall. "Bullock, we don't fight violence with violence!" snapped Comissioner Gordon suddenly through the intercom.

"Sorry, Comish, it was self-defense," retorted Bullock.

"I saw it, and it wasn't," retorted Gordon. "Just take him back to Arkham if he's not cooperating. We don't need him to confess – we have an airtight case against him. The lawyers are saying they might be able to prove mental competency, in which case we can push for the death penalty. Or confine him to a prison for the rest of his miserable little life."

"Well, I know which one I'm hoping for," said Bullock, smiling at Tetch. "Get him outta here," he said, gesturing to the guards.

As he was dragged past Commissioner Gordon, Tetch suddenly seized him. "Tell me…tell me…how is Alice?" he whispered. "Will she live? She must…she must live. I would gladly die if only she could live…"

"Her condition is still uncertain," muttered Gordon. "The doctors aren't sure she'll pull through. But they're hoping, as are we all."

Tetch shut his eyes tightly. "Tell them…if it will help…I will die. But they have to promise me she'll live. I'll die if it will make her live. Promise me she'll live!" he shouted, desperately. "She has to live! I will admit to doing it, I will tell you anything you want to hear, if you promise me she'll live! Alice, please! Please live!"

He broke down sobbing as he was dragged away. It was so pathetic, Gordon was almost moved to pity him. Almost.


	3. Chapter 3

"They all think I did it, don't they?" muttered Tetch as he saw the other inmates gathered at the opposite end of the cafeteria at dinner, eyeing him strangely. Crane was the only one who sat next to him, not that this was particularly unusual.

"No, Jervis, I'm sure they're just…not in a chatty mood," said Crane slowly. "None of them are particularly effervescent people, except Harley, and she's not unless the Joker is here. Which he isn't, thank heaven for small blessings," he muttered. "Anyway, I doubt attempted murder is a particularly shocking idea to any of them."

"This attempted murder is," snapped Tetch. "We are lunatics, Jonathan, we have nothing else but our personalities. The only thing that never changes about us is our characters. They're dependable as clockwork. And if they believe that my personality has changed so much that I attempted to murder the object of my undying affection, then they begin to suspect they don't know me at all. They begin to think I'm some stranger in their midst, and they don't like it. I don't like it either. You can't have any idea what it's like to know that you've done something, but to have no memory of it, no control over your own actions. You begin to fear what you're capable of, and what you'll be made to do next."

"Do you think it's your mind control technology?" asked Crane.

"I don't know what else it could be," retorted Tetch. "Unless I've completely lost my mind. And even then, I would never harm Alice."

"Do you have any idea why someone would want you to?" asked Crane. "Any enemies of yours or hers that you can think of?"

"I doubt the child could have enemies – she's so sweet and beautiful," murmured Tetch. "I say she _is_…I don't even know if she's still alive. If she dies because of me, I will never forgive myself…"

"Now, calm down, Jervis," said Crane, gently. "Don't fear the worst before it's confirmed. Fear is bad enough on its own, but groundless fear is even more inexcusable."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Jonathan," whispered Tetch, burying his face in his hands. "It's just…all so horrible."

"Where is he?!" shouted an angry voice, and a second later, the door to the cafeteria was kicked open, and Billy Dodgson burst into the room. His furious eyes fixed on Tetch and the look in them turned murderous. "You!" he shouted, rushing at him. "You sick freak! You disgusting monster! I'll kill you for this, do you hear me?! You're dead!"

He began punching Tetch mercilessly while Crane tried futilely to pull him off. The Arkham guards who descended on Billy a moment later had much more success. "How could you do this to her?!" cried Billy as Tetch slowly struggled to his feet, gasping in pain. "She was genuinely trying to help you, and you repaid that kindness by trying to kill her?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I don't know!" shrieked Tetch, clutching his head. "I don't know! I don't know what's wrong with me! I didn't mean to do it! You have to believe I didn't mean to do it! I would never have hurt her, never!"

"You did!" he shouted. "You almost killed her! And I swear to God if she doesn't make it, I'm gonna make you pay for her life with your own!"

"Promise me that!" shouted Tetch. "Yes, promise me you'll kill me if she dies, because I'll have nothing left to live for! Swear to do me that kindness, and grant me that mercy, because if I have to continue on without her, I will be living in hell!"

He seized a gun from one of the Arkham guards. "Let him go!" he shouted, pointing the gun at them. They obeyed slowly.

"Jervis, what are you…" began Crane.

"Stay out of it, Jonathan," hissed Tetch. "Do not attempt to interfere!"

He placed the gun in Billy's hand. "Do it now!" he hissed. "Having to live with the fact that I attacked her is already too much for me to bear! End the misery of my existence now, if you have the nerve! Kill me!"

Billy held the gun, pointing it at Tetch, but did not pull the trigger. "Kill me!" shrieked Tetch. "Kill me or I swear to God I'll make you!"

Billy's finger tightened on the trigger. "Do it! Kill me!" cried Tetch again.

"Is someone wanting to be killed?" chuckled a familiar voice. "I'd be happy to oblige!"

Everyone turned to see the Joker standing in the doorway under an armed escort and next to a very shocked Dr. Leland. The Joker had just been returned to the asylum, and Dr. Leland had been interviewing him when she had heard the commotion from the cafeteria.

"What on earth is going on?!" Dr. Leland demanded angrily. "Who is this man, and why has he been allowed armed into this facility?! And why is he being allowed to threaten my patient?! No! Nobody speak!" she snapped, holding up her hand as everyone began talking at once. "Take our visitor to my office where he can explain himself. Guards, return to your posts. Mr. Tetch, sit down. Joker, get some dinner," she muttered, turning and striding away.

"Righty-ho, Doc!" chuckled Joker, saluting. "Hope you've improved the food in my absence, but I ain't holding my breath!"

"Puddin'!" shrieked Harley Quinn, no longer able to contain her excitement as she leapt at Joker, throwing her arms around his neck and choking him in a suffocating embrace. "You're back, you're back, you're back!"

"Yeah, take it easy, kiddo!" he gasped, shoving her off in irritation and massaging his throat. "What are you trying to do, kill me? Cause I'm taking you down with me, you dumb blonde!"

"Aw, puddin', you're such a kidder!" sighed Harley, cuddling him adoringly.

"Hatty, heard you stabbed your girlfriend!" chuckled Joker, smiling at Tetch. "You're an inspiration to the rest of us! I mean that, really."

"Joker, can't you see he's in no fit state to be mocked?" snapped Crane, patting Tetch gently on the back as he sobbed into his hands.

"Aw, c'mon, Johnny, a little joke will be just the thing to cheer him up and put a smile on his face!" laughed Joker. "Hey, Tetchy, what do you call your girlfriend if she lives through your attack? A paraplegic!" he laughed.

Tetch sobbed and rushed from the room. "Go after him, for goodness sake!" Crane shouted at the guards. "Make sure he doesn't do anything desperate!"

"Why should he? He's the one who stabbed her," shrugged Joker, helping himself to the remains of Tetch's meal. "Shouldn't have done it if he was gonna feel guilty about it. I know I never do anything I feel guilty about."

"That's because you don't feel guilt," snapped Crane. "And he didn't do it – not consciously anyway. Jervis believes his mind is being controlled by someone else."

Joker laughed hysterically. "Yeah, remind me to use that defense sometime! No, really, Bats, it wasn't me! I was being mind-controlled! Blame the voices in my head! Also, I see dead people! Look, there's Hatty's girlfriend now!" he giggled, pointing to a corner.

"Well, how else would you explain Jervis suddenly turning on the woman he loves like that?" demanded Crane.

Joker shrugged. "He's crazy. Crazy people are apt to be a little randomly homicidal, or so I hear. No personal experience of that, of course," he chuckled. "Maybe it's the sexual repression – I hear lack of sex drives people to do crazy things. Unless you and he are…y'know," he said, making a series of inappropriate hand gestures.

"No, we're not!" snapped Crane.

Joker shrugged again. "Well, that's what I blame Batsy's insanity on. The lack of sex, not being gay. I ain't homophobic – there's no reason gay people can't be as crazy as straight people. I embrace insanity of all persuasions," he chuckled.

"You're such a sweet, generous angel, puddin'," sighed Harley adoringly.

"I still believe mind control is the most viable theory," said Crane. "Jervis was working on some sort of new technology before he was dragged back here – there's no reason someone couldn't be testing his own invention on him. Although to what purpose, I haven't the foggiest."

"Me neither," agreed Joker, nodding. "I can't imagine why Tetchy would be important enough for anyone to pay attention to him, let alone make him the target of some conspiracy. Either he's being used to get to someone else, or your theory is wrong, and he's just plain nuts."

"I think you're jumping to ridiculous conclusions with no evidence whatsoever," snapped Crane.

Joker reached into his pocket. "I'll bet you twenty bucks that if there is a conspiracy going on, it ain't about Tetchy. You taking it or leaving it?" he asked, holding out the bill.

Crane glared at him, but took the money. "Easiest twenty bucks I'll ever make!" chuckled Joker. "Like taking candy from a baby!"

"Speaking of candy and babies, puddin', your little girl is in the mood to lick your lollipop," murmured Harley, licking Joker's cheek.

Joker chuckled. "'Scuse me, Johnny, but I know better than to ignore my baby when she's in the mood!" he laughed, standing up and carrying Harley away. "She might start trying to kill me!"

"One can only hope," muttered Crane, as Joker's mocking laughter disappeared down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jonathan," murmured Tetch's voice later that night, waking Crane from a very solid sleep.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Yes? What is it, Jervis?" he yawned.

"Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

Crane glanced at his watch. "At 3 A.M.?" he asked. "Hardly traditional teatime, Jervis."

"Time is immaterial," murmured Tetch. "Just a construct, a silly, nonsensical, random association of numbers, nothing more. I was accused of murdering Time at the Queen of Hearts's concert, you know, just before the March Hare went mad. And ever since then, Time means nothing to me. If there is no Time, there is no loss. For all that we lose, we lose in Time. I am done with it, Jonathan. If there is no Time, Alice will never be late, and she mustn't be late, you know. Not because of me. The late Alice. Late."

"And I can't sleep, you know," he carried on hastily. "Just in case someone tries to make me do terrible things again. So I have prepared a small tea party in my cell. I would be honored if you would join me."

Crane sighed heavily, trying to wake himself up. This went above and beyond the call of friendship, he thought, as he picked the lock on his cell door and entered Tetch's next door. A single candle burnt on a makeshift table, next to a pot of tea, two china cups, and a small plate of biscuits.

"Sit down – make yourself comfortable," said Tetch, gesturing to the pillow opposite where he was seated. "I'm sorry it's not a more sumptuous feast, but a poor lunatic must make do with what he can."

He poured Crane a cup of tea, handing it to him. "This is very kind of you, Jervis," said Crane slowly, as he drank. "But I wonder if your time mightn't be better spent trying to trace the malefactor who has your mind control equipment."

"I've told you, Jonathan, I am through with Time," replied Tetch. "I have banished it, so let us not speak of it again. Besides, trying to begin an investigation would be futile. I don't have a single lead."

"But perhaps if you escaped from here, you could return to our apartment and see if you could find any clues as to who might have stolen…"

"And perhaps if I escaped from here and tried to trace the culprit, he or she would very easily take control of my mind again and order me to jump in the river," interrupted Tetch. "I daren't break out – if I die, there will be no one to die for Alice."

"Look Jervis, I understand it's difficult, but at times like these, we must think rationally," murmured Crane. "We must use our brains if we are ever to catch the person responsible for…"

"Thought you didn't have a brain, Scarecrow!" chuckled a voice. "Thought that's why you were off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz! I hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was!"

They both turned to see the Joker entering the cell, whistling. "What the devil are you doing here?" demanded Crane.

"Yes, you've not been invited to the party, and it's rude to come to a party without being invited, you know," snapped Tetch.

"Aw, c'mon, boys, it ain't a party without the Joker!" he laughed. "The whole thing's no fun without me!"

"Well, there's no room for you anyway," retorted Tetch, pouring himself another cup of tea.

Joker kicked over the table, sending dishes crashing and tea spilling everywhere. "There is now," he said calmly, sitting down the floor and smiling. "Now, whatcha got in the way of snacks? Oooh, cookies!" he exclaimed, seizing one of the biscuits that had fallen onto the floor and popping it into his mouth.

"My…tea set," murmured Tetch, staring at the broken china in horror. He picked up the pieces with trembling hands as tears came to his eyes. "You destroyed my tea set."

"Nah, that ain't destroyed," said Joker, glancing at it. "Little glue will fix that no problem. _This_ is destroyed," he said, grabbing the pieces from him and smashing them on the ground again, and then standing up and jumping up and down on the remains, laughing hysterically.

"For God's sake, stop!" shouted Crane. "Are you trying to drive him mad?!"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Johnny," said Joker, waving his hand. "Can't drive someone mad who's mad already, everyone knows that! Anyway, Hatty can handle it – he's got a great mind, or so everyone says. Far too great to be broken by tragedy, ain't that right, Hatty?" he asked, turning to him and patting him on the head.

"Why don't you just tell me what you're doing here and go, before I goudge out your eyes with a tea spoon?" muttered Tetch between clenched teeth.

Joker chuckled. "Now you're starting to speak my language, Hatty!" he laughed, sitting back down. "Got another cookie?"

Tetch glared at him, handing him another biscuit. "Thanks, Tetchy, you're a pal," he said. "I'm here 'cause I wanna hear more about your mind control theory. I'm really interested in it."

"Why?" snapped Tetch.

Joker shrugged, popping the biscuit into his mouth. "Simple, really. Because Harley just tried to kill me."


	5. Chapter 5

They both stared at him in disbelief. "Harley…what?" stammered Crane.

"Tried to kill me," he repeated, nodding. "Completely outta the blue, too, which is the unusual part. I mean, believe it or not, we're not a perfect couple, and sometimes we have fights, which are always her fault, by the way, and we've both tried to kill each other a few times, but that's excusable in the heat of the moment, y'know? And I ain't gonna lie, sometimes it's kinda hot. A little strangulation or stabbing during the act makes the payoff that much more satisfying. But this was in cold blood, and that ain't in Harley's nature. No warning, no foreplay, no gag, just woke up suddenly and there she was, about to shove a knife into my heart. Fortunately I'm a lot stronger than the dumb blonde, and I was able to overpower her and beat her into unconsciousness. She's gonna have a headache when she wakes up, but she deserves it for trying to kill me. It was a very naughty thing to do, and it's only fair that she's punished for it."

He helped himself to another biscuit. "Anyway, obviously my Harley would never do anything like that. The kid's nuts about me. And it got me thinking about how you would never do anything to hurt your little girlfriend, and yet you did, because you thought someone was controlling your mind. So I began to wonder if the same thing coulda happened to Harley."

"Maybe she just finally got tired of taking all your abuse and snapped," retorted Crane coldly.

"Nah, that ain't it," said Joker dismissively, waving his hand. "I did an outstanding job twisting her mind – she ain't ever breaking outta the cycle of abuse. She likes it too much. No, Tetchy's mind control theory is looking a lot more likely, as is your conspiracy theory, Johnny. Although I'm standing by my bet."

"What bet?" asked Tetch.

"That this whole thing ain't about you," retorted Joker. "That you're like the prelude to the main event. Which is obviously me."

"You are an arrogant bastard," muttered Crane.

"It's not arrogance if I'm right," retorted Joker. "And I'm always right."

"Where is Harley?" asked Tetch, standing up.

"In my cell. Why?"

"Because if she is being mind controlled, my microchip should still be on her. Whoever placed it on her probably hasn't had time to remove it yet," he said, striding out of his cell.

They entered the Joker's cell to see Harley lying unconscious on the bed. Tetch bent down and reached behind her ear. He let out a cry of triumph as he held up a tiny chip. "Curiouser and curiouser," he murmured. "Now all we need to figure out is who put it there, and why. I'm going to need my hat."

He returned to his cell with the others following. Reaching under the bed, he pulled out his top hat and placed the microchip onto the hat card, which began glowing and emitting a series of beeps. "I installed this failsafe to make sure I could always locate the targets of my mind control," he murmured. "It is a two-way system, allowing the controller, ordinarily me, but in this case some vile miscreant, to know the location of his victim, and contrariwise, to allow the victim to find his way to back to the controller."

"But by that logic, if Batman found one of your victims, couldn't he conceivably use the microchips to track you?" asked Crane.

Tetch was silent for a moment. "You know, I never thought about that," he muttered to himself. "It's a valid point. In future, I shall modify it, but I'm certainly glad I didn't think of it now. Follow me."

As they left the cell block, the beeping increased its pace. "The closer we get to the controller, the quicker the noise," explained Tetch. "If we begin to proceed in the wrong direction, the beeping will stop."

As if to illustrate his point, the beeping stopped at that moment. "This way," said Tetch, turning around, and the beeping resumed.

"I feel a bit like I'm in Scooby-Doo," laughed Joker. "Except I'm Fred stuck here with the male equivalents of Velma. Do you think the culprit's gonna be some guy in a mask?" he chuckled.

"Not unless it's Batman," retorted Crane. "And I doubt he'd have the brains for such a scheme."

"Yeah, I love Bats, but he ain't the brightest bulb in the shed by a long shot," said Joker, nodding. "It's obvious from his name, really. When he thought it up, he must have gone, 'Well, I'm a man who dresses as a bat – why don't I call myself Batman?' There's no creativity there, no imagination! You don't see me going around calling myself Clownman…"

"Will you both shut up?" snapped Tetch. "I can't hear myself beep! Besides, it would behoove us to be quiet – the person we're dealing with is no doubt some deranged and dangerous lunatic who will have no qualms about killing us if he perceives he's being tracked…"

"Unless it's Batman," retorted Joker. "He don't kill anyone. And if you wanted to make tracking somebody silent, maybe you shouldn't have made the tracking signal a loud series of beeps, Hatty! Geez, I thought you were supposed to be smart! Now me, I don't believe in stealth. That's Batsy's style. My attitude is to face things head on, grab the Bat by the horns…"

The floor that they were walking on suddenly gave way and they all three fell down, landing in a strange room set up with all kinds of laboratory equipment. It appeared to be empty, and Joker struggled to his feet and looked around. He peered at a few test tubes and notes, and then laughed hysterically. "Nah, this ain't the Bat," he said, turning back to face Crane and Tetch. "It's someone much more…"

But he suddenly noticed that Crane and Tetch weren't moving, and then felt a sharp pain in his neck. He whirled around to see a figure holding a syringe. Joker grinned. "Strange," he chuckled. He began to laugh hysterically, and then the drug from the shot kicked in and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I hope you enjoyed the joke, Joker," murmured Hugo Strange, stepping into the light and smiling. "It will be your last."


	6. Chapter 6

Harley Quinn woke up slowly, dazed and confused, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her skull. "Ow," she muttered, shutting her eyes tightly. "Mr. J, I told you after last time to try and be a little more gentle! I don't want you doing anything that's gonna hurt in the morning! Why can't you ever respect me enough to…Mr. J?"

She looked around to see that the cell was empty, and it wasn't morning. "Mr. J?" she repeated, standing up and emerging into the cell block. "Hey, Red, you seen Mr. J?" she asked, knocking on the door to Poison Ivy's cell as she passed.

"For God's sake, Harley, it's 5 in the morning!" shouted Ivy. "I haven't seen anything but the inside of my eyelids, until you woke me up to ask about the goddamn clown! I hope he's dead!"

"Y'know, you could have just said no," snapped Harley. "Guess some of us ain't morning people," she muttered as she continued down the cell block. She noticed that both Tetch and Crane's cells were empty too, and this made her even more nervous. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Mr. J's arms. He certainly wouldn't have planned an escape attempt with Tetch and Crane and left her behind. That didn't make any sense, even for him.

She crept out of the cell block slowly. The asylum was silent, deadly silent, except for a faint voice coming from one of the corridors. Harley followed the sound of the voice, and was surprised to discover that it was coming from beneath the floor.

She noticed a vent in the floor and slipped over to this, opening it up and struggling inside the ventilation tunnel. The voice became clearer as she got closer to it, and found herself at the end of the tunnel staring through another vent and recognizing the word: "Joker."

Through the cracks in the grate, she saw a small laboratory, with three figures chained to the wall facing her. Three figures she knew. Standing in front of Mr. J was a man with his back to her, a bald man in a lab coat, with a deep voice.

"I suppose it is better this way," said the man. "So I can enjoy the pleasure of killing you myself. Although I did go through so much trouble, building this lab in secret in one of the many forgotten rooms under the asylum, gradually moving my equipment here under cover of darkness, all so that I could test my work and then complete it. I had so much success with my controlled experiment that it seems a shame to abandon the project without achieving the desired results from my technology."

"Your technology?" repeated Tetch. "You stole it from me!"

"It was intiated by you," agreed Strange, nodding. "But I perfected it. Oh, your invention was very good, Mr. Tetch, but could it have driven a man to completely turn on the one thing he loved? Could it have so overwhelmed the brain that it would destroy the object of its fixation?"

"Of course it couldn't," retorted Tetch. "I would never use it for anything so monstrous!"

"Monstrous?" repeated Strange. "Just, I would call it. I admit, it is a shame about Miss Pleasance, but I had to make sure the device would work. So you were my test subject, Mr. Tetch. You should feel privileged – you personally experienced the full realization of your own work. A device so powerful that one man can completely control another man's mind. Something that overcomes even the deepest and most dedicated love."

"That was never my work!" shouted Tetch. "Even when I could have made Alice forget all about her fiance, I never used it for that purpose! It would have demeaned her, made her into a soulless doll, an empty shell! I could never have done that to my Alice, or anyone!"

"I appreciate you do not quite have the stomach for pure science," said Strange, nodding. "You must overcome emotion in the interests of progress, just as I have done. Just as I have made you do, and Miss Quinn too. Oh, it is a glorious achievement, Mr. Tetch. I am sorry you do not share my appreciation, but you were never my main target. That was the Joker," he said, turning back to him.

Joker chuckled. "Told you! It's always about me! Johnny, you owe me twenty bucks!"

"I thought it would be poetic justice to have your life ended by the person you created, the person who you believed would never hurt you," continued Strange, ignoring him. "The one person who was capable of loving a creature like you. I imagined you would have appreciated the irony in your last seconds of life. Quite the final joke, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, I've heard better," said Joker, shrugging. His eyes suddenly fell on Harley staring through the grate at him, and he smiled. "But why me, Hugo? What've I ever done to you? Is it a long story? Take your time."

"It's nothing personal, Joker, believe me," said Strange, turning away from him and going over to his desk. "But the scum of Gotham must be eradicated somehow, and you are the most prevalent, constant, and destructive threat to this city's safety. Your death will be the beginning, the glorious beginning to the complete cleansing of this city from all its degenerates, and ushering in a new age of renewal…"

While he was speaking, Joker caught Harley's eye and began making hand gestures. Harley stared at him in confusion, clearly not comprehending. Joker sighed, holding up two fingers. "Two syllables," whispered Harley, nodding. He held up one finger. "First syllable," she murmured, nodding again.

Joker began flapping his arms. Harley just stared back at him blankly, shaking her head. He sighed, and then held up two fingers against his mouth, in the shape of fangs. Harley shook her head again, puzzled.

He shook his head, and then held up two fingers. "Second syllable," she whispered, nodding again. He pointed to himself. "Clown," she murmured. "Criminal? Lunatic? Um…puddin'?"

Joker glared at her, but forced a smile as Strange turned back to him. "And best of all, your destruction will also destroy the one person in this world you are obsessed with destroying. Your nemesis. You should be thanking me. Once you are gone, Bruce Wayne will have no…"

"Bruce Wayne?" repeated Joker, annoyed. "Why would I care what happens to that rich son of a bitch?"

Strange stared at him. "You mean you don't know who your nemesis is?"

"Of course I know who my nemesis is!" snapped Joker. "I'm not an idiot! It's Batman, not Bruce Wayne! Everyone knows that! Geez, Stange, I thought you were supposed to be smart!"

"But Bruce Wayne is…"

"My nemesis is BATMAN!" interrupted Joker loudly, emphasizing the word and glancing pointedly at Harley. "BATMAN! That's who I'm talking about! BATMAN!"

"Why do you keep saying it like that?" asked Crane.

"Just so everyone knows I mean BATMAN!" repeated Joker. "It's no charade, it's BATMAN! The answer is BATMAN!"

And Harley suddenly realized what he was trying to say. "Oh, you want me to get Batman!" she exclaimed aloud, and then immediately clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, for God's sake, Harley!" shouted Joker, as Strange immediately withdrew his gun and pointed it at the vent.

"Come out, Miss Quinn," said Strange. Harley obeyed slowly, climbing out of the grate. Strange seized her by the arm, smiling. "Well, perhaps I will be able to finish testing my experiment after all," he murmured. "All it will take is a little persuasion."

He reached behind Harley's ear and planted the microchip again. Then he handed her the gun. "Now, my dear, kill the Joker," he murmured.

Harley's eyes had taken on a blank, vacant stare. She raised the gun to Joker's face, and he looked back at her. Their eyes met and something shone in Harley's for a second. She hesitated. "No," she whispered. "No, I won't do it."

Strange's eyebrows narrowed. "I think I gave you an order, my dear," he snapped. "I am in control of your mind, and you will obey me. Kill the Joker," he repeated firmly.

Her finger tightened on the trigger, but that something still burned in her eyes. "No!" she repeated firmly, shutting her eyes as if fighting against herself. "No, I won't! I would never…"

"You will do as I say!" snapped Strange. "I control your every thought and action! Now do it!"

"No!" shrieked Harley, as her finger shook against the trigger. "I won't kill puddin'! I love him!"

And suddenly a black shape burst from the vent into the room, knocking Strange to the ground. Harley's mind was released from his control and she fell to the floor with a sob.

"Good timing, Bats, as usual!" chuckled Joker, as Batman handcuffed Strange. "Now see, Hugo, this guy here's my nemesis," he said, nodding at Batman. "He don't look nothing like Bruce Wayne. I dunno what kinda crazy delusion you're under, but I guess it's a good thing you set up shop in a lunatic asylum – it's clearly where you belong!" he laughed. "Did you hear him, Batsy? He thinks you're Bruce Wayne!"

"Crazy," agreed Batman, nodding and unchaining them. "Dr. Leland informed me some supplies had been going missing. She suspected a thief, but thermal scans showed me there was actually someone working in secret under the asylum. Couple that with what could only be some sort of mind control device, and it didn't take me long to figure out you were behind it, Professor Strange."

"And that's why you're the World's Greatest Detective, Batsy!" said Joker, beaming at him.

"I'm handing Professor Strange over to police custody," said Batman, pressing the button to release the door in the ceiling. "You four return to your cells, or I'll be after you next."

He climbed up, dragging Strange after him. "Should we do as he says?" muttered Crane.

"We could attempt an escape, but I imagine we'd be caught by the guards," sighed Tetch. "And if the police are outside we probably won't get far. Anyway, I still have some tea left in my cell. It'll have gone cold, but I hate to waste it."

"And cookies," agreed Joker, nodding. "Can't pass up the chance for cookies. Let's go!"

Harley was still kneeling on the floor, tears in her eyes. As Crane and Tetch climbed out of the room, Joker came over to her. "C'mon, cupcake!" he said cheerfully. "Didn't you hear me? Cookies!"

She looked up at him in agony. "I almost killed you," she whispered. "I could feel myself about to kill you…I…"

She started sobbing. Joker just stared at her in puzzlement. "But pumpkin pie, that wasn't you," he said. "That was Strange controlling your mind. Didn't you get it when he was saying all that?"

"Of course I got it, Mr. J!" she snapped. "But it was still me! I was gonna…I was gonna…oh, Mr. J!" she sobbed, embracing him tightly. "I'm so sorry!"

He patted her head. "Look, kid, this is awkward," he muttered. "You got plenty to apologize for in general: being a useless waste of space, being a dumb blonde, being a clumsy broad, not being able to figure out very obvious charade clues, and then blowing the whole stealth thing…but apologizing for something you didn't do, I mean, that's just crazy, ain't it? And haven't we had enough crazy from Strange and his Bruce Wayne theory tonight? So why don't we just forget this whole thing ever happened, kay?"

"I don't think I can ever forget that I almost killed you," whispered Harley.

"That you what?" he asked blankly.

"I almost killed you!" she repeated. "Just now, Mr. J, don't you remember?"

"Nope," he retorted. "Can't say I recall anything about that. Sounds like a lotta nonsense to me, and if you mention it again, I'm gonna shoot you in the head. Now let's go, you dumb blonde, before Johnny and Jervis eat all the cookies!"

He seized her hand and dragged her out of the room. Harley stared at him in disbelief, and then beamed. "Oh, Mr. J!" she breathed. "I love you!"


	7. Chapter 7

"And so you see, Alice, nobody can guess what you're dreaming in your faraway Wonderland," murmured Tetch. He was seated by her bedside in the hospital. Dr. Leland had granted him permission to visit her, and had personally escorted him there to ensure his return. She was allowing him five minutes alone with Alice, which, if discovered, would probably cost her her job. But she liked Jervis, and she knew it wasn't him who had harmed Alice, not really. The least she could do was grant him a brief time alone with her.

"Tweedledee tells Alice that the Red King is dreaming about her, and that if he were to wake, she'd be nowhere, because she's only a thing in his dream, you see, and not a real person at all. Alice doesn't believe him, and neither do I. There is no one more real than Alice. But she's lost now in her Wonderland, lost and late, terribly late, you know…"

He touched her cheek gently. "Alice, I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "I would never have hurt you, you must believe that. I wasn't in control of my actions, but I will still never forgive myself. You shouldn't either, if you ever return from Wonderland. You should never forgive me. You should go, go with your young man and live happily ever after, and never return to Wonderland. It's a mad place, and the mad are not happy, you know. And you must be happy, Alice. That's all I want. That's all I've ever wanted."

The door opened. Tetch sighed deeply, expecting Dr. Leland. But it wasn't Dr. Leland who entered the room. It was Billy.

They stared at each other for a moment, not saying a word. Then Billy took a seat on the other side of her bed. "Dr. Leland's…explained what happened," he said quietly. "That it wasn't you who attacked Alice. I'm…sorry for the things I said and did. I was upset…"

"Please, there's no need to apologize," murmured Tetch. "In your place I would have done the same. Shooting me would have been better than I deserved for touching a hair on her head. It still is."

Billy avoided his gaze, staring at Alice. "She…um…she said I was jealous of you," he murmured. "She was right, as usual."

Tetch stared at him. "You? Jealous of me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You…um…knew her before I did. You were friends before I came along. And then I…ruined everything between you. I'm not sorry for loving her, and I'm not sorry for our relationship. But I am sorry that it came at the cost of your friendship with her. I never wanted to cause her any pain. And she valued your friendship very much. I think losing you would have hurt her very deeply."

He stood up, pacing. "But I was jealous, I admit it. I don't like the thought of any guy trying to steal Alice from me, or being in love with her, and you are a real smart guy, y'know, not like me…"

Tetch stared at him. "Smart?" he repeated. "What do you think that matters? I can't use my brain to force her to love me. I could, theoretically, I could have controlled her mind, but I never would have. It's a dreadful thing to do to another human being."

Billy nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I thought…maybe you were the kinda guy to do that. Someone so obsessed with…well…having her that you'd do anything. I was afraid of that. She admitted she'd been visiting you in the asylum, and I just panicked. We fought. And then she was…attacked. If it turns out the last words I ever said to her were vile and accusatory, I will never forgive myself."

He sat down. "I'm not a perfect guy, Mr. Tetch," he muttered. "Maybe you are. Maybe that's why I'm jealous. Maybe you would honestly treat her like an angel every single day of her life. Maybe I'm afraid that's what she wants. And me…well, I got a temper. I ain't really smart. Maybe deep down I secretly think she deserves better. Maybe I think she deserves a guy like you. But I just…couldn't bear to lose her."

He buried his face in his hands. "If she…wants you," he whispered. "I will let her go. If that'll make her happy, that's what I'll do. If she just lives through this, I'll do…anything for her."

Tetch gazed at him. Then he stood up. "No, Mr. Dodgson," he murmured. "She does not want me. She wants you. And I finally understand why. You love her as I do. You love her so much you would be willing to let her go even though it would destroy you. You would sacrifice everything for her happiness. I didn't know that before, but I know it now. You love her, truly love her. And so I know you will make her happy. That's all I need to know."

He looked down at Alice. "Have you ever read _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_, Mr. Dodgson?"

"No, I can't say that I have," he replied quietly.

"It ends with Alice's sister recalling her own childhood, and sharing in Alice's vision for a brief moment," he murmured. "It ends with her sister seeing Alice's future, as a mother to her own children, and sharing with them her simple joys and sorrows and her tales of Wonderland."

He took Billy's hand. "I hope, that when she wakes, you will have many happy years together. That you will have children of your own, and perhaps tell them about Alice's adventures with a certain Mad Hatter. If you do, I only ask that you be kind, and try to make them understand that he was not all bad. Perhaps he was not even all mad."

He put his hat back on his head. "Goodbye, Mr. Dodgson," he murmured, leaving the room without looking back.


	8. Chapter 8

"Jervis? You have a visitor," said Dr. Leland.

Tetch had been reading _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_, and now looked up in astonishment at Dr. Leland. "Visitor?" he repeated. "Who?"

"You'll have to see," she said, unlocking the cell.

He followed her down the hall to the visiting room in puzzlement. When he saw who his visitor was, his jaw dropped. "Alice!" he gasped.

She stood on the other side of the glass, smiling gently at him. Billy was there with her, supporting her with one arm, and gazing at her tenderly. She still had a few stray cuts and bandages, but otherwise she looked mostly recovered. Dr. Leland unlocked the door between the visiting room and the cells, and Alice rushed to embrace him. "Oh, Jervis," she whispered, holding him gently. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Alice," he whispered, still not quite believing this was real. And then the realization hit him, and he hugged her tightly. "Oh, Alice! You're not late after all!"

He burst into tears and she held him, not saying a word.

Dr. Leland left them, heading for her office. "I'm glad she doesn't appear to have any permanent damage from the attack," said Batman, who suddenly appeared from a corner of the room.

"So am I," agreed Dr. Leland. "It was a terrible thing to happen, but it's over now. I think everyone can move on with their lives."

Batman was silent. "Do you think Tetch can move on with his?" he asked quietly. "You were saying he appeared to have come to some sort of acceptance."

Dr. Leland smiled. "I told Alice, and I'm telling you, I can't completely diagnose him," she said. "I don't know if he can ever be cured. I don't know if this is some sort of first step toward recovery, or just a step further of losing himself in his madness. But I do know that where there's love, there's hope."

Batman looked at Alice and Tetch embracing each other gently, and nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "Yes, there is."

**The End**


End file.
